‘Prolonged’ loadshedding: Dozens held as protest turns violent in Nowshera

NOWSHERA: A protest against excessive and unannounced power loadshedding n the Pir Piai area of Nowshera turned violent on Tuesday, leaving two people, including a police constable, injured and resulting in the arrest of dozens of demonstrators.

Residents from Pir Piai and surrounding localities gathered on the main Grand Trunk (GT) Road, blocking the traffic for several hours to protest what they called excessive loadshedding. The protesters said outages, previously six hours long, had now stretched to 12 hours daily despite the extreme summer heat.

The senior officials reached the site to negotiate, but talks initially failed. When negotiations resumed, they again broke down, prompting police to use batons to disperse the crowd. However, the protesters also responded with stone-pelting, turning the area into a battleground.

The demonstrators alleged that police also resorted to tear gas and firing, injuring several people.

The police later booked 24 protesters and detained many others on the spot and shifted them to undisclosed locations.

Local leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and Awami National Party, including JI’s Arshad Anwar and ANP’s Irfan Ghafur, were among those arrested. The residents threatened to return to the streets in protest against what they termed excessive use of force on peaceful demonstrators.